Welcome to the najm lab

We deploy molecular tools to systematically discover critical targets of human health, immunology and cancer. Our discoveries have ranged from synthetic lethal gene pairs down to single DNA bases responsible for dramatic biological effects.

CRISPR methodologies. We have devised a combinatorial CRISPR-Cas9 system to perturb over 35,000 gene pairs to discover novel synthetic lethal opportunities in cancer. We also deploy CRISPR interference to repress genes through conventional (promoter) and non-conventional (enhancer) targeting. CRISPR base editors have allowed us to alter specific DNA bases to implicate single DNA bases.

Prediction. Machine learning based on DNA sequence and accessibility allows us to proactively predict targets, providing a complementary approach to wet-lab target discovery.

Technology development. We are focused on developing new techniques and approaches to perturb and decode complex biological networks. Among our contributions are a system for high throughput combinatorial CRISPR-Cas9 targeting. This is an unprecedented time of genomic tool discovery, enabling opportunities we could only dream of a few years ago!